The agreement was sealed at last weekend’s MATTA Travel Exchange (MTEX), a B2B travel trade event organised by MATTA and Tourism Malaysia in conjunction with the FATA Convention 2019 in Putrajaya.

Through the B2B platform, which is set to launch in 3Q2019 during the first phase of development, MATTA members will be able to access hotel and attraction inventories as well as inbound tour and travel packages created and uploaded by travel agents.

A B2C platform will mark the second phase of development, enabling MATTA members to sell products and services to a worldwide audience.

MATTA president, KL Tan shared: “It will assist small and medium sized inbound tour operators who make up more than half of MATTA’s 3,500 membership to up their game, while at the same time creating more inbound and domestic traffic.”

Both platforms will be developed and maintained by Grabini Malaysia. CEO, Alexander Abraham shared that it will take 18 to 24 months for the platform to generate income to cover the costs. However, the business model has yet to be determined at press time.

The recent MTEX featured 82 exhibitors from Malaysia comprising tour operators, hotels, product owners and state tourism organisations and 150 buyers from ASEAN and India.

This is the second MTEX event held, following the first organised in 2007.

KL Tan shared: “It was revived given its potential to boost arrivals from ASEAN which contributed more than 70 per cent of arrivals to Malaysia, and from India, which is the second largest medium-haul market to Malaysia, after China. We hope to make MTEX into an annual event.”